Tech Bytes / Space Mining
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Bennu sample begins new exploration era
After seven years and nearly 4 billion miles, mission returns with sample of asteroid that may offer secrets of the universe. After seven years hurtling through the solar system, NASA's OSIRIS-REx space mi... — Updated 12/1/2023 Full story
Liquid metal spacesuits vs. lunar dust
In lieu of aliens or secret government bases, there is a very real and persistent threat on the Moon to future astronauts on NASA's Artemis mission – dust. This powdery substance is far from the... — Updated 11/25/2023 Full story
Martian opals are a precious discovery
Gemstones could offer evidence of past life and be a water source for future Martians. Martian opals discovered in a lakebed traversed by NASA's Mars Curiosity rover may be much more precious than their... — Updated 1/9/2023 Full story
First extraterrestrial rock sample cache
Perseverance is dropping off a batch of samples for Mars Sample Return robotic team to retrieve. While the impressive toolkit aboard the Perseverance rover provides earthbound scientists with a trove of... — Updated 12/20/2022
NASA's Break the Ice Challenge semi-finals
With 2022 coming to a close, NASA has announced the 15 teams moving forward to the semi-finals in the $3.5 million Break the Ice Lunar Challenge, an ongoing competition that puts research groups, robotics... — Updated 12/20/2022
Transforming Mars dirt into metallic iron
Food, water, breathable air, shelter, and clothing – these fundamental elements of human survival here on Earth will be even more critical for early Mars colonists. With delivery fees measured in... — Updated 8/23/2022 Full story
Latest NASA challenge tackles Moon forging
NASA's eighth annual Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge invites university students to design a metal production pipeline – from extracting metal from minerals to creating... — Updated 8/16/2022
Preparations for foothold in final frontier
Aiming to kick off the Artemis era later this year, NASA is preparing for the first launch of its Space Launch System (SLS) mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft, which will fly without any crew... — Updated 7/12/2022
Australian university sets up space lab
The University of Adelaide has launched Exterres Laboratory, the first of its kind in Australia for an off-Earth surface testing environment for space technology such as rovers – which are destined for t... — Updated 7/12/2022
Solar wings to fly to Psyche asteroid
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration March 7 reported the nearing launch of its 11-year Psyche project, with the assemblage of its massive solar panels that will power the spacecraft through... — Updated 7/12/2022
Hayabusa 2 to drop asteroid samples soon
Are we there yet? With only about 1.4 million miles to go, the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is about to finish its primary mission that has carried it over 3.25 billion miles so far! Even though it reached the... — Updated 12/1/2020 Full story